Standing beneath the steeple, playing in the cornfields, learning to be a pastor while trying to faithfully preach the Good News, and the church who loves me anyway.

Take Courage

I majored in Creative Writing in college, which, I guess, would lead most people to believe that I wanted to be a writer. I guess, everyone but me might see that. I’ve felt this pull all my life. I wrote stories when I was a kid, and all my friends were playing games on the playground. I wrote for both my high school and college papers. And yet, the thought that I might want to be a writer has not yet taken hold of me. Until today. Until I sat in a conference with other people who might want to be writers. Until I owned up to the fact that I’m just plain scared. Compared to being a writer, being a preacher seems an easy task. I think I might rather preach in front of 1,000 people than submit anything for publication. Preaching, after all, is easier. It’s more certain. There is always something to be said about a particular text that some person needs to hear, and most days I can find at least one thing to say that fits in that category.

But what have I to offer any reader? I’m 27– I don’t even have much life experience yet. About what would I write? And besides, I’ve been rejected. Badly. My screen play writing professor in college made me a deal. He’d give me a B, if I promised never to write fiction again. Apparently, I write great characters, but don’t have a lot of use for plot.

But, still a voice inside calls out– just as strong and as clear as the one that uprooted my life and called me into the ministry. It keeps calling and calling, and thus far, isn’t shutting up. Somewhere in my head, and I think, my heart, is the quote that I put on the front of my final project in college–which seemed cute and fitting at the time, but now seems to be the sweetness of life. “‘Fool’ said my muse to me, “Look in your heart, and write”.

Maybe fiction isn’t my thing. But maybe, just maybe, the whole preaching the good news thing might not just be limited to 11 a.m. Sunday morning.

Thanks, Mainecelt! I think I needed to hear that! I’m starting to at least take steps in that direction… we’ll see where it goes! At the very least, I’m going to try blogging regularly, to at least get in the practice of writing. (Which, I guess, means there is the possibility that I will be writing some boring posts about minutia!) Thanks for the encouragement!

I was just going to say that blogging regularly might help! And yea, writing more toward your calling, and not necessarily starting with fiction- but maybe later. You could turn out to be our generation’s Anne Lamott, (i’m 27 too) that would be awesome!